Paris — Celebrities came first, as they always do on the Paris runways.
After Oprah Winfrey stole the show during the opening stretch of the nine-day week, Naomi Watts and Kai Schreiber were in Balenciaga. Rooney Mara, Diane Kruger, Alexa Chung, Elizabeth Olsen and Yselt turned to Givenchy.
Sarah Paulson and Tracee Ellis Ross watch Celine. Chapel Ron was at Vivienne Westwood and later at McQueen, where Myhala and Sophie Thatcher were also. Chanel was still due on Monday, and Louis Vuitton capping the season on Tuesday.
But this week is about more than just the next row.
Paris Fashion Week’s biggest houses are in reset mode, and the designers leading them are trying to answer the same tough question: How do you dress people when the world is dark, loud and unstable?
First came clothes built for shielding: high collars, wraparound coats and strong tailoring.
Then came the silhouette: a sharp line as designers moved away from years of oversized dressing and back to shape.
The third trend was glamour, which looked less polished. Hair was messy, makeup was smudged, clothes were rough and the mood was dark. Luxury is no longer veiled from real life.
Balenciaga pioneered the first trend.
In his second show, Pierpaolo Piccioli built a collection around the search for darkness and light, working with “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson on a set related to the series’ return.
The mood pushed the collection towards anxiety.
On the runway, it featured balloon bombers, cocoon backs, portrait collars and face-framing necklines that protected the body.
Even soft-shell garments retain that sentiment: these are clothes for the harsh world.
Givenchy followed a similar path and made it more personal. Sarah Burton’s third performance felt like her perspective clicked.
She did not propose an ideal woman, but many women and many ways to be strong, precise tailoring, strong coats, peplum hips, velvet, scissors and evening looks grounded in real life.
Burton’s collection is about how women put themselves back together in the world they live in. That idea strengthened the clothes. He softened, but still connected with it.
Junya Watanabe pushed the idea even further, turning gloves, motorcycle gear and emergency blankets into couture-like forms.
McQueen did the same, Sean McGirr talks about paranoia, perfectionism and the pressure to always be seen. His slashed leather pants, low-slung minis and chainmail-like textures suggest exposure, but also protection.
The second big trend was the silhouette.
After years of volume, slouch and oversized ease, Paris is moving back towards the body.
Celine made that change most evident. Michael Ryder’s third outing felt like the designer had settled into his imagination.
He wanted clothes to live in. His coats and suits sat close to his torso. His pants burst out in a burst of flames. Their menswear came in long, narrow overcoats that looked crisp rather than puffy.
Ryder suggested that the long dominance of oversized dressing could be broken.
His version of edginess was neither stiff nor nostalgic. It was easy, but it had character.
Classic clothes are back with a bit of an edge: small details, unfamiliar proportions, a more precise line.
That made Celine a clear mood setter.
Paris runways were later in existence, no longer full size.
You can see that change elsewhere. Burton loosened the strict hourglass he first established at Givenchy, but he didn’t give up shape.
Piccioli used collars and a cocoon back to frame the figure rather than bury it. McQueen’s low-rise minis and smart boots suggested the same.
The season line was strong, clean and close to the body. After years of volume, Paris is asking for something more revealing. stand up can see Take shape.
The third trend was less polished glamour.
Designers still wanted beauty, but they also wanted friction.
In Westwood, Andreas Kronthaler displayed sadness, sensuality and discomfort at once, speaking openly about loss while insisting on joy and play. On the runway, it became rough seams, smudged lipstick, underwear symbols, odd hats and an imperfect bride. It looks messy, sad, sexy and alive.
That appetite for imperfection carried over into the week.
Ryder evokes a confused inner life beneath the beautiful clothes.
Piccioli used shadow to keep the darkness close.
Burton imbued Givenchy with distinct female characters rather than a polished ideal.
Paris repeatedly rejected sterile luxury. Taken together, strong performances suggest a week less interest in escape than resilience. The best designers aren’t trying to make the world disappear.
They were trying to arm women for that.
(Tags to translate)Fashion
